wendelstadt



Patented Dec. 27, I898 E. F. M. WENDELSTADT. SIGHT FOR FIREARMS.

fApplica tiun filed June 27, 1898.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDlVARD F. M. WENDELSTADT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SIGHT FOR FIREARMS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 616,512, dated December 27, 1898;

Application filed June 2'7, 1898. Serial No; 684,566. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD F. M. WEN- DELSTADT, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sights for Firearms, of which the following is a specification.

Myinvention relates to improvements in adjustable or so-called drop sights for pistols, rifles, and other firearms.

It is especially intended for use in target practice,where distance and the kind,ainount, and quality of the charge used are to be taken into consideration.

The invention also relates to the mode of fastening the sight to the firearm.

The characteristic features of the invention are its simplicity, compactness, durability, and convenience.

Referring to the drawings hereof, Figure 1 illustrates an elevation of an ordinary revolver having my new sight attached thereto. Fig. 2 illustrates a detail of a portion of the barrel of the pistol shown in Fig. 1, partially sectioned to show the construction of the sight. Fig. 3 illustrates a transverse sectional view through the center of the sight, taken on the line 2' 2 in Fig. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 4: illustrates still a different modification of the sight, resembling in certain respects that shown in Fig. 2. It likewise shows means whereby myinvention may be applied to the barrels of firearms generally. Fig. 5 illustrates a transverse sectional view on the staggered line 6 0, Fig. 4, looking in the direction of the arrows.

I have illustrated in Fig. 1 my invention as applied to a pistol. It will be understood, however, that it is applicable equally to all kinds of firearms, and also that the sight may be located at the muzzle of the piece, as shown, or at the breech or at such other point as preferred, and that if it be employed as a breech-sight a suitable notch or its equivalent will be provided upon the sight through which to draw the bead. 1

A is the barrel of the firearm, and B the barrel-stiffening rib which is upon many firearms, but not all of them, these days. I will first describe my invention as applied to firearms which have the rib B, referring particularly to Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive.

At the desired place upon the barrel I make a semicircular incision or recess 0 in'the upwardly-presented edge of the rib B, and at the side of the rib I fit a small piece of steel D, so as to afford sufficient metal for the threads of a clamping-screw E to thread into. This clamping-screw is provided with a slotted or milled head, so that it can be turned by the fingers or by a screw-driver or thin plate of metal, such as a knife-blade. It is shouldered, as at F, (see Fig. 3,) atabout half its length, leaving a contracted portion G, which is threaded, as shown.

H is the sight proper in Figs. 1 to 3. It is shown as a crescent-shaped piece of metal slotted at I, and the screw E passes through the slot, as shown best'in Fig. 2.

The operation of the invention as thus far described is simple. Upon loosening the screw E the crescent-shaped sight H may be tilted in such manner that its forward end will be thrown upwardly into the air, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2, the shank of the screw moving through the slot during this operation,'and when the desired elevation of the sight is obtained, the screw being set up again, the crescent-shaped'sight will be clamped in its then position, and thus the direction of the shot may be controlled as desired by the requisite adjustment of the sight. When the front end of the sight is depressed to such a degree that its forward point or horn coincides in elevation with its rear point or horn, then the sight will be drawn across both of these points.

It will be noted that my sight is peculiarly simple, neat, and effective in operation, and

that substantially all parts of it excepting the part that projects upwardly from the sight are hidden within the slot in the barrel or rib stated, and also that because of the relatively large area of the surfaces of the sight and sides of the slot in which it rests the former may be clamped most rigidly in its position after adjustment, so that it will not be disturbed by the recoil of the arm nor by com tact with other surfaces, which are apt to change the adjustment of sights as ordinarily constructed.

1o cated the same as before.

In Figs. l and 5 I illustrate a means of attaching my improved sight to barrels which have not the stiffening-rib B upon them, and in these figures also I show a modified means 5 for maintaining the sight at any desired ad- I 5 under side of the barrel are provided with lugs F F, through which there are threaded holes and set-screws G threaded into them in such manner that when the device as a whole is slipped onto the end of the barrel the 2o screws will clamp the device rigidly upon the end of the firearm. Instead of using the setscrew E, as shown in the other figures, to clamp the sight in its adjusted position I sometimes employ an ordinary rivet 1-1 as the 2 5 device upon which the sight rocks, and if so I may place beneath the sight, in a suitable recess, a relatively stiff spring I, which at all times presses with considerable force upon the lower edge of the sight, so that it requires considerable pressure to move it, although it can be easily adjusted by tapping it in one direction or the other or otherwise exerting suflicient pressure upon it. It will be seen that this form is more compact and neat than 5 the other and does not require the employment of any tool, such as a screw-driver or its equivalent, to manipulate the set-screw. This form of the invention, however, is not so reliable under all circumstances as the other,

because in the use of firearms which have considerable recoil it may slightly change the posit-ion of the sight when held by spring-pressure only. This will depend, however, upon the stifiness of the spring, and for some arms it is a desirable form.

I usually provide the sight with suitable indices produced upon a suitable part-as, for instance, onthe lower curved side-which shall register with an appropriate part of the edge of the incision in which the sight-piece rests, so that the degree of its elevation may be quickly and conveniently ascertained by the marksman. I do not show these indices in the drawings, because they are well understood, and the lining would be too fine for illustration.

It will be obvious to those who are familiar with this art that modifications may be made in the details of construction of the invention without departing from its essential features. I therefore do not limit myself to the details.

Ilaving described my invention, I claim- 1. A sight for firearms, comprising a slotted piece of metal having upwardly-extending ends, placed edgewise within a recess made in its support and presented endwise to the breech of the arm; a pin passing through the slot, whereby the sight is confined within the recess and adapted to be adjusted therein; and means whereby the sight may be fixed in adjusted position, for the purposes set forth.

2. A sight for firearms, comprising a slotted piece of metal having upwardly-extending ends, placed edgewise within a recess made in its support and presented endwise to the breech of the arm; a threaded screw or pin passing through the slot, whereby the sight is confined within the recess and may be clamped in any desired position, for the pur-.

poses set forth.

3. A sight for firearms, comprising a ringlike band adapted to be fastened to the barrel of the arm, a slotted piece of metal having upwardly-extending ends, placed edgewise within a recess made in the upper arc of said band and presented endwise to the breech of the arm, a pin passing through the slot in said piece of metal, whereby it is confined within the said recess, and means to hold the same in any desired position, for the'purposes set forth.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 23d day of June, A. D. 1898.

EDWARD l. M. WENDELSTADT.

Witnesses:

PHILLIPS ABBOTT, JAMES B. WALLAon. 

